


Confessions

by inkandpaper



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Minor Character(s), mentions of minor character death, minor angst?, s04e18 Sympathy for the Devil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-09 03:00:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4331250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkandpaper/pseuds/inkandpaper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma admits to doing the unforgivable. Set after 4x18, Sympathy for the De Vil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's more than a little late, as we're nearly two months away from the beginning of season five, but I'm posting it anyway. Set right after Emma pushes Cruella off that cliff in 4x18 Sympathy for the De Vil.   
> Any comments, questions, feedback, or prompts will ALWAYS be appreciated! Hope you enjoy.

_I killed Cruella._

The words were embedded in her brain, swirling around her thoughts but never escaping her mouth. She couldn't bear to see the stunned looks on her parents' faces, on Regina's face, on Killian's face, and so, as her own head drowned in a tsunami of shock, she reverted back to the sole tactic that she knew would never fail  - she ran.

She released Henry roughly as Regina approached, pushing him into her arms and then stumbling backwards as her parents tried to frantically catch their breath.

 "Emma," her mother panted, "what happened? What did you just do?"

_I killed Cruella_.

 She couldn't stand the shock, the disappointment, the fear that she knew she would see on the faces of her family. She couldn't stand it, wouldn't stand it.

 Her own breaths sounded ragged as she headed for the forest, headed to solitude, but she stopped in her tracks when she heard his voice.

 "Emma." His lips wrapped around her name as he spoke it, lacing the syllables with concern.

 She met Killian's eyes with her own, praying that he could see that she wasn't ready to talk.

 Unsure if he was getting the message, she whispered, "I can't."

 And then she took off.

_I killed Cruella._

 Tears blurred her vision as she whipped past thick foliage. She could only hear the rapid pounding of her heart in her chest and the way her footsteps thudded across the forest floor, and she was positive that nobody had tried to follow her.

 Then she tripped - _of course_ she tripped - and Killian's own steps sounded behind her.

 "Emma!"

 She struggled to get up, thinking that she wasn't ready to face him.

 "Swan, don't move!"

 She moved. She managed to make it to her feet, and she had taken about two steps when Killian slammed into her from behind, twisting so she would land on him as they fell.

 His arms locked around her, and he flipped her so that he could pin her down as she squirmed to get away.

 "Emma, love, look at me."

 She shook her head. She wasn't ready.

 "Emma." His tone was forceful.

 She steadied her head, trying to blink away tears so she could look at him.

 "Whatever happened, whatever you did - it will be okay. Did you hear me? It will be okay."

 She sobbed into his shoulder. "Not this time."

 "Yes, it will, Emma. You just have to tell me. Tell me, and we can face this together. We'll do it together, love - hell, I'd fix this for you, all on my own, if that's what you want."

 He wasn't hiding the pure, honest sincerity that crept around his words, and Emma didn't fail to detect it.

 (Later, when she's bared her soul to him on a bench by the water, she'll tell herself that it was that sincerity that lulled her into telling him, into trusting him, into--)

 With a grim smile and a shuddering breath, she holds his gaze.

  _"I killed Cruella."_

**Author's Note:**

> So after reading this for the third or fourth time, I've decided it's definitely not my favorite piece, nor my best. Anyway, what matters is if YOU liked it - I hope you did!
> 
> ALSO, since this piece sort of-kind of revolves around the whole idea that Emma is struggling with dealing with the emotional aftermath of her first kill, I realized that Cruella isn't actually her first kill...Maleficent is. Emma may not have realized it at the time, but Maleficent was trapped in dragon form when Emma slayed her. Not really a big epiphany, but just something interesting that I hadn't really thought about before.
> 
> If you've got a prompt or a vague idea that you'd like me to explore, I certainly will look into it - but I am working on another piece right now, so it may not get posted right away. 
> 
> Live long and prosper,  
> Andi


End file.
